Springfield sees worst of severe weather, nearby areas hit as well
Springfield - At least two tornadoes left at least four people dead, caused numerous injuries and damage Wednesday in this western Massachusetts city, scattering debris, toppling trees and frightening workers and residents before racing east.
Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency and the National Guard called up about 1,000 troops, NBC News reported.
Scott MacLeod, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the four deaths Wednesday night but said there were no details about the circumstances.
He said two people died in Westfield, one in West Springfield and one in the town of Brimfield.
The first tornado touched down at about 4:30 p.m. local time in Springfield, the third largest city in the state, Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service, said.
"There was a tornado on the ground and reports of widespread damage in Hampden, Massachusetts, and also reports of damage in Springfield," Vaccaro said.
Much of the damage was in Springfield's South End neighborhood near Interstate 91 and the Connecticut River. Heavy winds could be seen churning the Connecticut River and hail, heavy rain and thunder hammered the area.
Earth Changes
© Unknown
The National Weather Service predicts wet and gusty weather as tradewinds blow rain over leeward areas from the windward side and afternoon heating creates the possibility of thunderstorms as cold, moist and unstable air moves over the state.
Forecasters say thunderstorms and lightning are possible, especially in the leeward areas of the Big Island.
A winter weather advisory is in effect for Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea summits, where 1 to 3 inches of snow is expected.
© Frank Wouters via Flickr
Saiga antelope at Zoo Keulen in Germany.
Saiga antelope at Zoo Keulen in Germany.
One year after a mysterious epidemic wiped out 12,000 critically endangered saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) in Kazakhstan, the ailment has struck there again, this time killing more than 400 animals.
Kazakhstan Today reports that 442 saiga antelope - including 360 does and 82 calves - were found dead in May. Like a year ago, they fell victim to pasteurellosis, an infection that afflicts the lungs.
But what caused the infection? West Kazakhstan regional governor Baktykozha Izmukhambetov told a cabinet meeting on May 31 that "some sort of poisoning from the flora, which is to say from the grass, is taking place." (Translation via Eurasianet.org)
Dramatic footage filmed from a helicopter by Australia's Channel 7 shows a series of powerful waterspouts near the coastal suburb of Terrigal, on Australia's New South Wales coast. Several powerful columns of swirling air could be seen blasting along the water's surface near the coastline. Channel 7 claimed the spouts reached heights of up to 600 metres (nearly two thousand feet), but dissipated as they neared land. The natural wonders came as strong winds and heavy rain also lashed other parts of the state, causing flash flooding and traffic chaos in Sydney.
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Work began after a post-mortem examination was carried out in a bid to establish what killed the gentle giant.
The 44-foot long male sperm whale was found washed up on the beach close to Green Lane by an early morning walker yesterday.
Extensive efforts were made to save the massive mammal but it later died.
© Reuters/Régis Duvignau
In a wheatflied in western France last month
In a wheatflied in western France last month
Summer 2011 could be drier than summer 1973, when drought cost the economy an estimated 15 billion euros and a "drought tax" was introduced to raise 900 million euros to make up farmers' losses, according to weather forecasters.
Spring this year has been the hottest since at last 1900 and the driest for 50 years. Temperatures have been 2.6°C higher than the average between 1971 and 2000.
Over half of the country's départements are already limiting the use of water and farmers have already been promised millions of euros of aid.
The price of straw has been fixed at no higher than25 euros a tonne, Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire announced Tuesday.
© USGS
Wednesday, June 01, 2011 at 12:55:21 UTC
Wednesday, June 01, 2011 at 08:55:21 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location:
37.545°S, 73.663°W
Depth:
15.1 km (9.4 miles)
Region:
OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
Distances:
7 km (4 miles) N of Lebu, Bio-Bio, Chile
96 km (59 miles) SW of Concepcion, Bio-Bio, Chile
116 km (72 miles) W of Los Angeles, Bio-Bio, Chile
530 km (329 miles) SSW of SANTIAGO, Region Metropolitana, Chile
A Saudi farmer who went into his barn to take his 300 sheep on their daily pasturing was shocked when he found them all dead, a newspaper in the Gulf Kingdom said on Saturday.
The farm said he checked the sheep an hour earlier and they were all alive in their barn at his far in the western town of Qunfudha.
The unnamed farmer had owned the sheep for years and they were his sole source of living for his family of 16.
The farm said he checked the sheep an hour earlier and they were all alive in their barn at his far in the western town of Qunfudha.
The unnamed farmer had owned the sheep for years and they were his sole source of living for his family of 16.
© Unknown
"I don't know if we want to say it's something to be scared about, but it's something to definitely be concerned about. Because it's something you have to be aware of, and you have to take some steps yourself to prevent yourself from picking it up," Southeast Idaho Health Department epidemiologist Jeff Doerr said.
Bannock County mosquito abatement crews are already out in the field, trying to treat as many potential mosquito habitats as they can. But they have their work cut out for them, it seems like there's standing water just about everywhere.
© Joana Roja/Flickr
The Souris (or Mouse) River is a small plains river that starts in Saskatchewan, Canada, and returns to Canada in Manitoba, flowing into the Assiniboine River. The Souris makes a deep U-shape as it meanders through North Dakota.
The Souris (or Mouse) River is a small plains river that starts in Saskatchewan, Canada, and returns to Canada in Manitoba, flowing into the Assiniboine River. The Souris makes a deep U-shape as it meanders through North Dakota.
An estimated 10,000 Minot residents began a hectic scramble Tuesday to move their belongings out of their homes and seek shelter elsewhere, while crews began an all-night effort to build new, secondary dikes throughout the city.
Many were told at noon Tuesday that they'd have to be out of their residences by dark. Others were given a deadline of today. Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman made the announcement at City Hall.
"We have to take extreme measures. The water is on the ground now. We know what to expect. It's not a good situation," said Zimbelman.
Residents of all nine evacuations zones in Minot were told they would have to get out of harm's way as soon as possible. In the meantime the city officials, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the North Dakota National Guard continued to devise a plan on how to best defend Minot against what is on track to become the greatest flood in this city's history.
The Souris River has been testing the city's defenses all spring. Now, fueled by up to four inches of rain from Minot to Kenmare and beyond, the Des Lacs River is rolling and about to play a major role in the fate of many valley residents. The Des Lacs, which joins the Souris River at Burlington, was on pace Tuesday to seriously challenge its all-time top flow.
